1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, such as a facsimile machine and a printer, that includes a medium receiving tray for receiving a medium discharged after undergoing a recording operation.
2. Related Art
For example, a printer includes a medium receiving tray, sometimes called a discharged sheet stacker, for receiving and sequentially stacking recording sheets discharged after undergoing a recording operation. Hereinafter, the medium receiving tray may be simply referred to as tray.
Some of existing trays have a multi-level structure that occupies a smaller space when the printer is not in use, but can be extended to secure a larger space for receiving the recording sheet when the printer is activated (for example, see JP-A-2006-001705).
To practically realize a system that automatically draw out the tray from the printer in the medium discharge direction when recording is to be performed on the recording sheets; discharges the recording sheets after the recording to the tray; and then retracts the tray in the direction opposite to the medium discharge direction to the initial position in the printer, the following issue has to be addressed.
In the case where the recording sheets stacked in the tray are not removed before the tray is retracted in the direction opposite to the medium discharge direction, the recording sheets are also drawn into the printer together with the tray. Accordingly, in the case of a low-profile printer it is difficult to take out the recording sheets because the sheet discharge slot is narrow, especially when a small-sized medium is used.
Further, in case that the recording sheet is caught and jammed in the gap between the tray and the frame defining the chamber for the tray, the recording sheet that has undergone the recording operation is seriously damaged, and besides the tray is locked halfway of the returning motion to the initial position. Thus, the printer becomes unable to confirm that the tray has returned to the initial position, resulting in a system error.
In such a case, the system error can only be cancelled when the tray is confirmed to have returned to the initial position, upon restarting the printer and initializing the tray position. Accordingly, the system error is not cancelled unless the jammed recording sheet, which is the cause of the system error, is removed.
If the recording sheet is torn apart by being forcibly pulled and the portion thereof jammed between the tray and the frame remains inside the printer, it is difficult to remove the remainder of the recording sheet unless the housing of the printer is removed to largely expose the internal structure. Therefore, it becomes even more troublesome to cancel the system error. If the tray is forcibly pulled out, the driving mechanism engaged with the tray may be damaged or broken in the process of reengagement.